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Social worker Thea Anderson lives in San Francisco with her husband, Ivan, teenage son and five-year-old daughter. “I manage a grant program that supports students who have experienced trauma,” she says. “The young people in the city are really inspiring — they’re smart, energetic and totally radical.” Here, Thea shares five outfits she wore in a work week…
Sweater: similar. Skirt: Ace & Jig, similar. Clogs: Sven.
“I work in an incredibly casual office — some people even wear yoga pants — but I like getting dressed up. I used to be a school teacher, but after I had my second child, I went to grad school for social work. For the first few years of my daughter’s life, I would dress like a grad student — wearing jeans, boots and sweaters every day. I would buy her cute outfits and take pleasure in dressing her, but not take care of myself in the same way. Putting more love and attention on her than I do on myself has been an ongoing struggle for me, but a few years ago I realized that needed to shift. Now I try to wear clothes that make me feel good.”
Jacket (on bench): Madewell. Sweater: similar. Striped shirt: J. Crew. Jeans: vintage, similar. Sunglasses: similar. Sneakers: Adidas.
“I’m generally a terrible thrifter — I have no imagination when it comes to seeing the potential in some old thing. But the jean rack is more manageable. I look for a high waist and a good wash (my favorite is a medium blue stonewash). If they’re a little too big, I just get them altered. I also like online window shopping. There’s a store in Portland called Frances May that I’ve never been to, but I feel like it’s my local shop. I try to wait and be thoughtful instead of making impulsive purchases. Also, because I live in San Francisco where there are essentially no seasons, I buy a lot of clothes off-season during sales. I got this polka-dot sweater at Barney’s end-of-winter sale for like 75 percent off. I sign up for my favorite stores’ email lists and follow a bunch on Instagram to keep up with sales.”
Cardigan: similar. Dress: No. 6, similar. Tote: Baggu. Clogs: Sven.
“My mom came from China to go to UC Berkeley in 1965 and has lived in northern California ever since. Many of the clothes I wear nowadays remind me of the quasi-hippie clothes she wore in the ’70s and ’80s. She has always dressed in a stylish pajamas kind of way. In old family snapshots, she’s wearing patterned textiles and wide leg trousers and oversized sweaters and clogs. Now that I’m 40, I wear clogs all the time, too. I love that they give me height but are as comfortable as sneakers. Sven and No. 6 clogs are my go-tos. Once I submitted to clogs, I was like, ‘Okay, I am officially a mom now.’ ”
Dress: Ace & Jig, similar. Jacket: vintage Lee, similar. Sunglasses: similar. Boots: No. 6. Purse: A.P.C.
“My body changed a lot in my late 30s; I’m still getting used to dressing my new shape. I love the silhouette of this dress, and I wear it all the time. It’s not drawing attention to any part of my body but it doesn’t feel like a cloak either. For bags, I used to lug so much stuff around in a big satchel — my daughter’s socks, kids’ books, 100 pens. But a couple years ago, I decided enough was enough, and I downsized. Now I have one Baggu tote for work and one A.P.C. cross-body bag for weekends, and that’s it. I never switch out bags, but just wear them into the ground until they’re falling off my body and then get a new one.”
Top: Osei Duro. Pants: Jesse Kamm. Boots: No. 6.
“I actually got these Kamm pants from a friend. She bought a pair that didn’t fit and was going to put them on the internet — but I raced over to her house and she sold them to me. I get lots of fashion inspiration from my friends. A few of my friends are dressy and fabulous, and a few are super laid-back. I love to see what everybody is wearing. But at the end of the day, I just want to feel like myself.”
Thank you so much, Thea! You’re awesome.
P.S. More women share their week of outfits, and a perfume smell test.
(Photos by Lena Corwin for Cup of Jo. Interview by Megan Cahn.)
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